TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Pandemic prompts drive-through pet blessing in Philippines
Change Size
A Catholic priest sprinkles holy water on birds aboard a vehicle at a drive-thru pet blessing amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak on World Animal Day, in Eastwood Mall, Quezon City, Philippines, on October 4, 2020. (REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez)
C
oronavirus-wary animal owners in the Philippines had their pets blessed via a drive-through ceremony on Sunday to mark World Animal Day and the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.
From a safe distance inside their owners' cars, cats, dogs, and birds were sprinkled with holy water by a Catholic priest in Manila, as the nation's coronavirus cases continued to surge.
The Philippines has recorded a total of 322,497 coronavirus infections, the highest in Southeast Asia.
Organizers and participants said this year's unusual way of blessing pets for World Animal Day, celebrated worldwide to recognize animal rights and welfare, ensured social distancing.
Read also: Owners present pets to Philippines priest for blessing
"We have to adapt to the new normal and the pandemic should never stop us from paying tribute to the furry animals that we have," said Ritchie Pascual, one of the event organizers.
For dog-owner Arlene Pedron, having her pet blessed is "very important...because we really feel like our pet is part of our family".
"We also want the best for his health," Pedron said, while waiting in line with her two-year-old golden retriever.
